Donate to Support MOP Students
The Marine Option Program provides countless curricular, co-curricular, and extracurricular activities to enhance our students' educational journey. These opportunities benefit from our proximity to the ocean and our relationships with government agencies, non-profit organizations, and community groups.
These activities can be resource-intensive and sometimes have costs associated with them (for example, enrolling in classes or attending conferences). Donations to the Marine Option Program help support individual student projects, scholarships or travel/conference stipends, group field trips, sea turtle research, coral research and nursery operations, field techniques trainings, SCUBA diving and boating training, and more.
How can you help?
The easiest and most impactful way to contribute is through a monetary donation. Donations can be made directly to to the UH Foundation UH Hilo Marine Option Program Fund. The UH Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization that is the central fundraising entity for the University of Hawaiʻi, managing over 8,000 gift accounts. Donations processed through the link below are specifically for the UH Hilo Marine Option Program.
Other ways to contribute
MOP may also accept direct donations of equipment and supplies, such as scientific equipment, aquarium supplies, and more.
One of our biggest needs at the moment is a pickup truck, such as an F-150 or similar. We currently rely on vehicles from other departments to support all of our activities. While vans for transporting students are typically available, there are very few pickup trucks available for use that will remain in servicable condition for much longer. A pickup truck is necessary for us to deliver our full offering of activities. Many of them, including our sea turtle research, QUEST, and the coral nursery, require us to transport large items, sandy and salty items, or high volumes of supplies. Having our own vehicle would ensure that our full array of student opportunities can continue.
Please contact the MOP Staff Coordinator if you wish to donate vehicles, equipment, or supplies!